Wedding Place Cards: Wording, Titles And Seating Plan Order

We design and print cards and prints in the UK and post them first class. We don't print place cards to order - everything below is free to copy, whether you make your own or buy the card that goes with the occasion.

Wedding place cards get looked at twice: once when a guest finds their seat and once when they turn it over hoping it says what's for dinner. Both are worth planning.

Below: wording for every awkward case, how the cards work alongside the table plan, and the jobs to do the week before.

Wording that covers every guest

• Close family and friends: first name only. 'Sarah'.
• Formal weddings: title and surname. 'Mrs Sarah Patel'.
• Two guests with the same first name: add the surname to both, never just one.
• A plus-one whose name you have: use it. 'Guest of Tom' reads badly and everyone notices.
• Children: first name, same size card as the adults. They love it.
• Doctors, reverends and military titles: use the title if they use it themselves.

How they work with the seating plan

• The plan at the door lists guests alphabetically with a table number. The place card assigns the actual seat.
• Alphabetical on the plan, never by table - guests are looking for their own name, not the table.
• Place cards let you split couples, mix families, and sit the talkers where they're useful.
• Put the menu choice as a small letter or symbol on the back for the catering team.

Ideas that cost almost nothing

• Name written on a luggage tag tied to the napkin.
• A sprig of rosemary or eucalyptus laid across a flat card.
• Write the name on the edge of a wine cork with a slit cut into it.
• A photo of you with that guest, name on the back. Slow to make, always the favourite.
• Small chocolate bar with a printed band round it - place card and favour in one.

Timings for the week before

• Lock the final numbers ten days out. Write the cards after that, not before.
• Write them in one sitting, one pen, one evening.
• Bag them by table, labelled, so setting up takes ten minutes rather than an hour.
• Hand the venue a printed seating list as well as the cards. Cards go missing.

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How to write it so it lands

• Write a handful of blanks and take them to the venue.
• Ask the caterer what code they want for meal choices before you write anything.
• Check the spelling of every surname twice - it's the detail guests remember.

Where to shop next

• Place cards: the complete guide
• Christmas table name cards
• Thanksgiving and dinner party place cards
• How to make name place cards
• Place card wording and etiquette
• Free printables
• Wall art and prints
• All guides
• Hen party decorations
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?
• Birthday cards for kids
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide

Frequently asked questions

What do you write on a wedding place card?

First names for people you know, title and surname for a formal wedding. Add surnames whenever two guests share a first name.

Do you need place cards if you have a seating plan?

For a sit-down meal, yes. The plan gets guests to the right table; the place card gets them into the right seat and stops couples splitting the table up themselves.

When should wedding place cards be written?

After final numbers are confirmed, usually about ten days before. Write them all in one sitting with the same pen.